Owners of properties condemned from tornado being called into housing court by Springfield officials

View full sizeRepublican staff photo by Mark M. MurrayTraffic on Main Street flows past demolished buildings in Springfield's South End. The street reopened Tuesday for the first time since the June 1 tornado

The city Law Department announced Tuesday it is seeking court orders to have owners of condemned properties appear for a hearing in the Western Division Housing Court, said Associate City Solicitor Lisa DeSousa.

About 50 owners have or are being served, and documents are being finished up on another 20 or so, she said.

The move, so soon after the June 1 tornado, is not intended as a double whammy on tornado victims but is a way for the city to protect its own interests, she said.

“Court action can be confusing and frightening to people, but it is a necessary step in the condemnation process,” she said.

Filing with the courts allows the city to guarantee that any insurance settlement paid to the property owner for tornado damage will be used to either repair or demolish the property, she said.

It prevents the owner of a damaged property from pocketing the money and skipping town, leaving the city to deal with an abandoned eyesore, she said.

“The vast majority of homeowners are not going to do this, but we don’t have a crystal ball to see which ones would,” she said.

Filing with housing court will allow the city to track the progress of properties, either through their rehabilitation or demolition, she said.

Springfield tornado victims alarmed by letterA letter from City of Springfield notified some residents that their homes were deemed unsafe, and if they didn’t demolish or make repairs, they could face fines of up to $1,000 per day. Springfield Code Enforcement Commissioner Steve Desilets says the city is required by law to send out the letter but that they are working with residents.

Filing also allows the city and parties involved to meet in court to discuss plans for the property, insurance claims and plan for relocating any tenants, she said.

The Hampden County Bar Association has established a free lawyer referral and information service to aid any property owners with orders of condemnation. The service will answer questions about legal rights in condemnation cases and assist in insurance claims. For more information call the Hampden County Bar Association at (413) 732-4660 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays.

Hundreds of homes, apartments and commercial buildings in Springfield were damaged as the tornado cut a swath across the city from the South End through Sixteen Acres.

The city division of code enforcement issued more than 200 condemnation notices in the days following the storm. A building is condemned when it is considered unfit for human habitation.

In the two weeks since, however, many of those properties have been stabilized enough to have the city lift the order of condemnation.

State officials were able to document 319 homes that were destroyed and another 600 that were heavily damaged by the tornado.

Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, wrote a letter to President Obama on Tuesday asking the president to act swiftly in declaring the region a disaster area, according to Neal’s office.

In the letter, Neal, who has visited every community affected by the tornado, wrote, “The devastation that I have seen in my hometown of Springfield, and throughout western and central Massachusetts is heartbreaking, and warrants a swift and bold federal response.” Neal Tornado Letter to Obama

Patrick has indicated that Hampden County would need $12.2 million in low-interest loans for home owners and $8.3 million for businesses.

In Monson, town officials announced at a town meeting Tuesday night that the annual Summerfest celebration, scheduled for the July 4 holiday, will not be held this year, as the town is continuing to rebuild and recover from the tornado.

While Summerfest Committee chairman Steve Slozak’s announcement drew some sighs and cries of “oh no,” he told the crowd gathered in the Granite Valley Middle School auditorium on Tuesday that Summerfest will be held in July 2012 instead.

“We will be back,” Slozak said, to applause.

The signature celebration features a parade through downtown, music, vendors and food, and is traditionally held around the July 4 holiday. But the tornado battered downtown, leaving nails, debris and destruction in its wake.

Slozak explained that several factors played into the decision, including safety concerns after talking with Fire Chief George L. Robichaud and Highway Surveyor John R. Morrell.

He said that three key Summerfest committee members also lost their homes - his sister-
in-law Kim Slozak, Russell Bressette and Jeanne Bailey - and without them it would be too difficult to plan. Also, all the equipment for the Girl Scout breakfast was damaged. “It was a difficult decision to make,” Slozak said.

In other news, Springfield announced Tuesday afternoon it had reopened all of Main Street in the South End, marking the first time the traffic could travel uninterrupted on Main Street since the tornado hit.

There are still portions of the South End off Main Street closed to traffic, primarily a one block portion of Willow Street from Union to Hubbard, and Hubbard Street from Main to Willow streets.

All other roads that were closed across the city have previously reopened.

Also, the city has also started a system of removing brush and limbs and demolition materials from areas impacted by the tornado, the office of Mayor Domenic J. Sarno announced Tuesday.

Removal will continue every day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. until all storm-related debris is taken away.

Residents are asked to place items for removal on the tree belt such as vegetation and demolition materials, and in separate piles arrange hazardous wastes such as paint cans, cleaners and pesticides.

Contractors hired to do work on a property are responsible for removing any debris related to their work. They should not leave it on the tree belt.

Tornado recovery continues to shift from immediate needs to the long-term process of helping business and communities rebuild. State Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Gregory P. Bialecki will tour damaged businesses and homes in Monson on Wednesday morning starting at the heavily-damaged The First Church of Monson.

At noon, he will highlight the state’s tornado response during a previously scheduled speech to the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield at the Springfield Marriott.

Chamber President Jeffrey S. Ciuffreda said Tuesday that the Affiliated Chambers also will honor area nonprofit agencies for their work in the storms aftermath.

Throughout the region, people continued to donate time, money and supplies to aid those affected by the tornado.

In Holyoke, donors filled a Peter Pan bus with toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, plates, cups, baby wipes, food and bags of clothes in an operation staffed by city employees behind City Hall.

The items in the daylong collection will be brought to the Friends of the Homeless Resource Center on Worthington Street in Springfield, she said.

Also, $1,500 was collected. That includes $1,000 from the John A. DiNapoli Memorial Benefit Golf Tournament and $9 cash brought by a mother and her young daughter, City Solicitor Lisa A. Ball said.

“It was very sweet,” Ball said.

Granite State Dog Recovery plans to deliver five vans of food and supplies plus a cash donation to T.J. O’Connell Animal Shelter at 2 p.m. Wednesday. The donations were collected from across New Hampshire.

Cajun, the Brimfield horse that was impaled with wood in the tornado, is making progress at Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. He has undergone several surgeries to remove large pieces of a tree from his coffin joint, the lowest joint in the leg. Leg injuries are extremely dangerous for horses.

Jason Kass, son of one of Cajun’s owners, JoAnn Kass, reported through Facebook that an ultrasound Monday morning did not reveal any more wood. He also said the horse is able to put weight on the injured right rear leg.

Fundraising efforts are ongoing to help pay for Cajun’s expected $10,000 medical bills. “Team Cajun” shirts will be on sale at the Klem’s Equine Day Saturday in Spencer with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the family. They will also be available at Crop and Carrot Tack Shop in Spencer.

A page on ChipIn.com had raised $1,137 as of Tuesday, up from $235 on June 8. Bay State Equine Rescue has agreed to donate some of the proceeds from their June 24 golf tournament in Oakham.

Monson Savings Bank announced that anyone wishing to make a donation to the Wilbraham Tornado Victims Relief Fund can do so at a Monson Savings Bank branch.

People also can write a check to the Wilbraham Tornado Victims Relief Fund and mail it to Monson Savings Bank, 146 Main Street, Monson, MA 01057.

There is also a separate fund established at Monson Savings to aid people in the town of Monson. Checks can be sent to the bank care of the Monson Tornado Victims Relief Fund.

Monson Savings Bank also would like to remind people that Monson Savings Bank mortgage and commercial customers should contact the Loan Center at (413) 267-4513 if they have short term financial needs as a result of recent tornado damage.

“We are pleased to be working with the towns of Monson and Wilbraham to help the tornado victims in our communities. This is an extremely difficult time, and our hearts go out to everyone who has been adversely impacted by the storm,” said Steven Lowell, president of Monson Savings Bank.